| 52 | Quite a beating to the written word here in an effort to figure out the "expression":
Johann Albrecht Bengel (1687–1752), a German Lutheran theologian, biblical scholar, and commentator says:
Τῇ ἐχομένῃ, (on the following day) This expression has a wider meaning than τῇ τρίτῃ, on the third day (the day after to-morrow), which is included in τῇ ἐχομένῃ.
τῇ ἐχομένῃ (from ἔχω) is not typically used in the sense of "following" in the context of "following day" or similar meanings:
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Etymology and Primary Meaning: The participle ἐχομένῃ comes from the verb ἔχω, meaning "to have" or "to hold." Therefore, its primary meaning is associated with possession or state of holding, not following. It doesn’t normally extend to the idea of following in a temporal sense.
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Possible Figurative Use: In some contexts, Ancient Greek does employ metaphorical meanings or figurative uses, but these would be rare and usually involve something akin to "holding to" or "adhering to" a path, rather than the literal sense of "following." This would be quite distant from the more conventional usage of "following."
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"Following Day": For the expression "the following day" or "the next day," Ancient Greek typically uses phrases like:
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Examples in Literature: The phrase ἐχομένῃ in classical texts almost always relates to someone who "has" or "holds" something, rather than following in a temporal or sequential sense.
While τῇ ἐχομένῃ could, in a very broad and figurative context, be interpreted as relating to something that follows (such as in "holding to" a sequence or event), this is not its typical or standard use. For "following" in the sense of time (like "following day"), expressions like ἡ ἐπομένη ἡμέρα are used instead. |